Richard Cohen

She's known as an expert at extracting information out of others, but these days, storied journalist Meredith Vieira is opening up about her own story.

As she launches her new NBC daytime talk show, The Meredith Vieira Show, premiering next Monday, the wife and mother of three sat down for this week's issue of PEOPLE to discuss the woman behind the journalist – and the choices that have led her to where she is today.

For her last appearance as host of the Today show, Meredith Vieira kept dog Jasper at her side – something her husband, Richard Cohen, can't seem to fathom.

"I find it mind-boggling that anybody can be as affectionate and pay as much attention to [him] as Meredith does," he says during a taped segment for Wednesday's episode of the Today show, in which he and Vieira reflect on his new book, I Want to Kill the Dog.

"I don't think that Richard has ever really taken to Jasper the way one would hope," Vieira adds, "and also maybe there's a little jealousy."

Meredith Vieira ended her five-year run as the Today show co-anchor surrounded not only by colleagues Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry (who will follow Vieira into the co-host chair), but also by husband Richard Cohen and family dog Jasper, as well as fans in the throng outside Rockefeller Center's Studio 1A.

As the two-hour send-off progressed – broken up by other news stories – highlight clips were shown, including her singing along with Julie Andrews and the movie cast of The Sound of Music, her asking Madonna why she showed up so late to the studio ("The hair," explained the singer"), and her offering to polish Colin Firth's Oscar.

And there were snippets showing her travels on behalf of the show and the personal touches she brought to covering stories (especially where children were concerned), to say nothing of the hugs from her interview subjects. And those smiles.